Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

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Photos:Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

Princess Diana remains a beloved figure 20 years after her untimely death. See more photos of the British icon and the legacy she left behind.

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Photos:Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

Diana, seen here on her first birthday, was born Diana Frances Spencer on July 1, 1961. She was born into a noble family in Sandringham, England. Her father, John, was Viscount Althorp before becoming the 8th Earl Spencer in 1975.

Diana poses with her brother, Charles, in 1968. She also had two sisters, Sarah and Jane.

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Photos:Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

Diana, far right, is photographed with her father, John, and her three siblings circa 1970. Sarah is on the far left and Jane is next to Diana. When Diana was 7 years old, her parents divorced and her father was given custody of the children.

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Photos:Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

A teenage Diana receives a "kiss" from her pony, Scuffle, in 1974. A year later, she became Lady Diana after her grandfather died and her father became the 8th Earl Spencer.

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Photos:Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

After finishing school, Diana worked various jobs, including cook, nanny and kindergarten teacher. Here she is in 1980 with two children she looked after as a nanny.

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Photos:Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

Diana and her friend Camilla Parker-Bowles visit the Ludlow racecourse in October 1980. Competing there as a jockey was Prince Charles, the son of Queen Elizabeth II and heir to the British throne. Diana and Charles would be engaged just a few months later.

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Photos:Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

Diana looks startled after stalling her new car outside her London apartment in November 1980.

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Photos:Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

Diana is surrounded by photographers shortly before it was announced that she was engaged to Prince Charles.

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Photos:Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

Diana and Charles pose at Buckingham Palace after the announcement of their engagement on February 24, 1981.

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Photos:Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

Diana and Charles arrive at Goldsmith Hall in London for a charity recital in March 1981.

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Photos:Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

The couple poses with Charles' mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in March 1981.

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Photos:Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

The royal wedding was held July 29, 1981, at St. Paul's Cathedral in London. It was estimated that more than 700 million people watched the ceremony on television.

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Photos:Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

Charles and Diana kiss on the Buckingham Palace balcony after being married.

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Photos:Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

During their honeymoon, Charles and Diana leave Gibraltar on the royal yacht Britannia.

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Photos:Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

The couple spends part of their honeymoon in Scotland.

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Photos:Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

Charles and Diana attend the Grand National horse race in April 1982.

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Photos:Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

In June 1982, Diana gave birth to her first child, William.

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Photos:Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

Diana greets a child while visiting Wrexham, Wales, in November 1982.

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Photos:Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

Charles, William and Diana pose for a photo at Kensington Palace in February 1983.

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Photos:Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

Diana gave birth to a second son, Harry, in September 1984.

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Photos:Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

Charles kisses his wife after a polo match in Cirencester, England, in June 1985.

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Photos:Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

Diana watches her boys play at the piano in Kensington Palace in October 1985.

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Photos:Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

Diana helps William with a puzzle in October 1985.

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Photos:Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

Diana attends a polo match that her husband played in Palm Beach, Florida, in November 1985.

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Photos:Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

Diana dances with actor John Travolta at the White House in November 1985. Dancing behind Travolta are US President Ronald Reagan and first lady Nancy Reagan. A few years ago, Diana's blue velvet dress -- nicknamed the "Travolta dress" -- was auctioned for 240,000 British pounds ($362,424 US).

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Photos:Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

Diana holds up Harry in the garden of Highgrove House, a royal residence in Gloucestershire, England, in July 1986.

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Photos:Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

William rides a miniature pony at Highgrove House.

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Photos:Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

Prince Harry shows a bit of his personality on the Buckingham Palace balcony in June 1988.

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Photos:Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

Diana and her two boys walk outside the Wetherby School in London in April 1990.

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Photos:Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

Diana and her sons go skiing in Lech, Austria, in April 1991.

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Photos:Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

Diana and Charles sit together during a royal tour of Toronto in October 1991.

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Photos:Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

Diana visits Egypt in May 1992.

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Photos:Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

Charles and Diana attend a memorial service during a tour of South Korea in November 1992. A month later, it was announced that they had formally separated.

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Photos:Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

Diana and her sons visit Thorpe Park, a theme park in Surrey, England, in April 1993.

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Photos:Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

Diana arrives at the Serpentine Gallery in London in June 1994.

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Photos:Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

A police officer holds back a photographer as Diana walks by in July 1996. It had just been announced that Diana and Charles had divorced.

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Photos:Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

Diana talks to amputees in Angola, where she traveled in January 1997 to bring attention to the anti-land mine campaign of the International Red Cross. Sitting on her lap is Sandra Thijica, a 13-year-old who lost her left leg to a land mine.

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Photos:Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

Diana wears protective gear as she visits minefields in Angola in January 1997.

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Photos:Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

Diana visits Cape Town, South Africa, and meets with South African President Nelson Mandela in March 1997.

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Photos:Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

Diana holds hands with Mother Teresa after they met in New York in June 1997.

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Photos:Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

This photo, taken from surveillance video, shows Diana arriving at the Ritz Hotel in Paris on August 30, 1997. It is one of the last photos of her alive.

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Photos:Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

Diana is seen in a Ritz Hotel elevator with her boyfriend, Dodi Fayed. After leaving the hotel, the couple was killed in a high-speed car crash in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris.

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Photos:Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

Wreckage is lifted away after the car Diana was in crashed into a pillar on August 31, 1997. Fayed and driver Henri Paul died at the scene. Diana died at a Paris hospital a few hours later. A French investigation concluded that Paul was legally drunk at the time and responsible for the accident. In 2008, a British coroner's jury found that Diana and Fayed were unlawfully killed because of the actions of Paul and pursuing paparazzi.

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Photos:Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

On the eve of Diana's funeral, the Queen and Prince Philip look at floral tributes left outside Buckingham Palace. More than 1 million bouquets of flowers were left at Kensington Palace, Buckingham Palace and St. James's Palace in the wake of Diana's death.

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Photos:Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

Diana's coffin is carried into London's Westminster Cathedral in September 1997. Watching at the bottom, from left, is Prince Charles, Prince Harry, Charles Spencer, Prince William and Prince Philip.

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Princess Diana remains a beloved figure 20 years after her untimely death. See more photos of the British icon and the legacy she left behind.